[ The sound of the tires against the road and the low rhythmic beat of the lofi that hums through the stereo fill the silence as he waits for her to decide if she wants to expand or leave it be.Β
Whatever she decides, doesn't matter to him β or rather, he won't be offended or annoyed if she decides that she doesn't want to clarifyΒ anything. People have said things before that they don't necessarily intend and been burned by it. This isn't one of those situations.Β
There's no risk here. Well, except perhaps her own perceived embarrassment and having to sit in that for the remainder of the drive.Β
But then she clarifies and Cassian's own realization dawns on the tail end of that. Friends. He didn't make them easily. Hasn't in a while due to the nature of his work. But they are here for the foreseeable future and there wasn't any harm in that. In being friends. Unexpectedly, the word soothes a balm against a part of his heart he hadn't realized had been tender in the absence of those that he did in fact call friends. ]
Is that what you want to be? [ But then he corrects himself, realizing that that would do little to help the awkwardness that she's feeling (and by extension the awkwardness he's beginning to feel). ] I don't usually make a habit of picking up strangers. You never know what they're going to do.Β
( it's good that he changed his mind about the question being the only thing he'd say on the matter. wanda's own sensibilities, the awkwardness of it all, would have had her absconding even further if he had set it as something that sounds so incredibly childish (is that what you want to be?). when he adds his own insight, his own explanation, an amount of give to the idea of her not being just a stranger to himβ
well, it causes the tight knot in her chest to give way a bit. )
Like breaking people's noses with a door?
( βthey are so past that.
but it gives wanda room to collect herself, to not feel so vulnerable in this moment, despite being all too pleased that this foraging into forcing the label of 'friend' onto another has worked out just fine.
for her part, she seems appeased with his answer. wanda leans back on her seat, shoulders relaxing, and finding reason to be soothed by the wind blowing through the windows and the smooth tunes. )
Friends forgive each other for accidents like that.
[ And hopefully that utterance of that word is more reassurance for her too. That they are in fact friends.
At one point in his life he'd balked from labelling things, particularly relationships of the romantic sort. That implied a sort of commitment, a reliance that he was in some ways, afraid of failing. Friends was easier, even if he'd thrown the word around in an attempt to ply credits from people on loan.
But he means it here. And there's nothing he's trying to gain from it either, unless you count the company on the long drive back. And that is enough for him too. Before he allows them to fall back into a comfortable silence reserved for those that there's a comfortable companionship with, he motions backwards to the seats behind them. ]
There's a blanket in the back if it gets too cold.
( friends would forgive each other for accidents like that, and it's a testament to each other and this budding dynamic between them that it has now become less of an embarrassing thing and more of an inside jokeβeven with two weeks since the incident.
(wanda is for the most part grateful that it's the nose-'breaking' that is given attention to, not so much the accidental kiss.)
by the time cassian offers a blanket in the back, wanda's hand is outside the window, streamlining shapes against the force of the wind, a quiet dance of her fingers as the world around them grows even darker, even more muted, even colder. her clothes, shorts and a thin shirt, were perfect for the heat of the day at the resort; now, a blanket would be welcome.
which is why she turns around onto her side and digs around for the blanket in the backseat, reaching for it with her fingers so that she can wrap it over herself once she's got a hold of it.
[ The budding dynamic is a strange thing, almost like a shirt or a sweater he hasn't gotten used to yet. But it's not one that is so uncomfortable he feels the need to shed it. It'll just take some time. And perhaps that's what they both need. Time to trust. To understand. How this strange dynamic begun is less important than how they were, in their own ways, trying to become comfortable with it now. ]
You're welcome. [ And then he glances over just in time to see her wrap herself in the blanket to cut the chill of the night air. There's a hint of a smile in his voice before he turns his gaze back towards the road. ] You'd do the same.
[ They fall into silence after that. Cassian, for once doesn't allow the pull of his thoughts and memories drag him into the undertow. Instead he allows them to pass over him like the music and the cool breeze. And at some point when he looks over, he finds her asleep.
Warmth lingers in his gaze as he watches the gentle rise and fall of her chest before he turns back towards the road again, but not before turning down the volume of the static-y radio. The windows roll up and he switches on the heater just to have some warmth (for her and for him) to combat the chill that had settled into his own bones.
Everything is calm. It should have been an easy ride back into the city.
But of course it isn't. Headlights wink at them in the rear view and then he hears the roar of engines as they come racing towards them. Annoyance prickles through him at the same time wariness has him sitting up straighter in his seat. Soon enough the car - or cars, rather, are quickly tailing him. They're hovering dangerously close to his bumper and his brow furrows not quite taking the bait yet - mostly due to his sleeping passenger. ]
( wanda, for her part, isn't entirely too sure when she does feel comforted enough to let her eyes close and let herself drift into sleep. she'd argue that she didn't do much to merit needing to fall asleep, but suppose the unrelenting sun in the resort wore her out.
and perhaps there's something to be said about how comfortable she feels in cassian's presence, enough to let her guard down enough to fall asleep.
she would have slept the entire drive into the city, except a rather quick swerve in cassian's otherwise impeccable driving jars her awake. there are a few fumbling moments of trying to get her bearings, glancing about, her brain trying to ascertain if she can just head back to sleep despite the jostle, but she catches on quick to the loud sound of engines, the headlights being blinked at them from behind. wanda glances over her seat and back, then over at cassian. )
What'd you do?
( she's not blaming him, despite the question! she's just trying to understand what's happening. )
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no subject
Whatever she decides, doesn't matter to him β or rather, he won't be offended or annoyed if she decides that she doesn't want to clarifyΒ anything. People have said things before that they don't necessarily intend and been burned by it. This isn't one of those situations.Β
There's no risk here. Well, except perhaps her own perceived embarrassment and having to sit in that for the remainder of the drive.Β
But then she clarifies and Cassian's own realization dawns on the tail end of that. Friends. He didn't make them easily. Hasn't in a while due to the nature of his work. But they are here for the foreseeable future and there wasn't any harm in that. In being friends. Unexpectedly, the word soothes a balm against a part of his heart he hadn't realized had been tender in the absence of those that he did in fact call friends. ]
Is that what you want to be? [ But then he corrects himself, realizing that that would do little to help the awkwardness that she's feeling (and by extension the awkwardness he's beginning to feel). ] I don't usually make a habit of picking up strangers. You never know what they're going to do.Β
no subject
well, it causes the tight knot in her chest to give way a bit. )
Like breaking people's noses with a door?
( βthey are so past that.
but it gives wanda room to collect herself, to not feel so vulnerable in this moment, despite being all too pleased that this foraging into forcing the label of 'friend' onto another has worked out just fine.
for her part, she seems appeased with his answer. wanda leans back on her seat, shoulders relaxing, and finding reason to be soothed by the wind blowing through the windows and the smooth tunes. )
Good.
( that's done, then! )
no subject
Friends forgive each other for accidents like that.
[ And hopefully that utterance of that word is more reassurance for her too. That they are in fact friends.
At one point in his life he'd balked from labelling things, particularly relationships of the romantic sort. That implied a sort of commitment, a reliance that he was in some ways, afraid of failing. Friends was easier, even if he'd thrown the word around in an attempt to ply credits from people on loan.
But he means it here. And there's nothing he's trying to gain from it either, unless you count the company on the long drive back. And that is enough for him too. Before he allows them to fall back into a comfortable silence reserved for those that there's a comfortable companionship with, he motions backwards to the seats behind them. ]
There's a blanket in the back if it gets too cold.
no subject
(wanda is for the most part grateful that it's the nose-'breaking' that is given attention to, not so much the accidental kiss.)
by the time cassian offers a blanket in the back, wanda's hand is outside the window, streamlining shapes against the force of the wind, a quiet dance of her fingers as the world around them grows even darker, even more muted, even colder. her clothes, shorts and a thin shirt, were perfect for the heat of the day at the resort; now, a blanket would be welcome.
which is why she turns around onto her side and digs around for the blanket in the backseat, reaching for it with her fingers so that she can wrap it over herself once she's got a hold of it.
in the endβ )
Thanks for stopping to offer me a ride.
( friends make things easier, right? )
no subject
You're welcome. [ And then he glances over just in time to see her wrap herself in the blanket to cut the chill of the night air. There's a hint of a smile in his voice before he turns his gaze back towards the road. ] You'd do the same.
[ They fall into silence after that. Cassian, for once doesn't allow the pull of his thoughts and memories drag him into the undertow. Instead he allows them to pass over him like the music and the cool breeze. And at some point when he looks over, he finds her asleep.
Warmth lingers in his gaze as he watches the gentle rise and fall of her chest before he turns back towards the road again, but not before turning down the volume of the static-y radio. The windows roll up and he switches on the heater just to have some warmth (for her and for him) to combat the chill that had settled into his own bones.
Everything is calm. It should have been an easy ride back into the city.
But of course it isn't. Headlights wink at them in the rear view and then he hears the roar of engines as they come racing towards them. Annoyance prickles through him at the same time wariness has him sitting up straighter in his seat. Soon enough the car - or cars, rather, are quickly tailing him. They're hovering dangerously close to his bumper and his brow furrows not quite taking the bait yet - mostly due to his sleeping passenger. ]
*cowbells in the distance*
and perhaps there's something to be said about how comfortable she feels in cassian's presence, enough to let her guard down enough to fall asleep.
she would have slept the entire drive into the city, except a rather quick swerve in cassian's otherwise impeccable driving jars her awake. there are a few fumbling moments of trying to get her bearings, glancing about, her brain trying to ascertain if she can just head back to sleep despite the jostle, but she catches on quick to the loud sound of engines, the headlights being blinked at them from behind. wanda glances over her seat and back, then over at cassian. )
What'd you do?
( she's not blaming him, despite the question! she's just trying to understand what's happening. )